U.S. Media Continue to Black Out Iranian Diplomatic Overtures

Posted by Steven D., Booman Tribune at 4:14 AM on July 16, 2008.

What might you not have heard about, particularly if you watch American television news programming? Why, just the fact that the demonic Islamofascist leader of Iran (that would be President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the non-wingnuts among you) has once again signaled his willingness to have diplomatic discussions with the United States regarding any topic whatsoever:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he would welcome direct talks with the US if both parties are on equal footing, adding such talks could happen at any time in future. [...]

"We will hold talks with the United States if they come to us on equal footing," Ahmadinejad said in a live interview with the state TV. [...]

"Equal footing means that when two people want to talk, both have to be on equal terms. Dialogue doesn't make any sense if one side stands in a higher position and the other in a lower position," Ahmadinejad said. [...]

Last month, the Bush administration said it was considering setting up a diplomatic outpost in Iran in what would mark a dramatic U.S. return to the country nearly 30 years after the two nations severed relations.

"They haven't demanded it (formally) yet. But if they do ... we will study it with a positive view," Ahmadinejad said Monday.

Ahmadinejad further stressed that he will not accept any conditions on the nuclear program during talks with European Union officials this weekend.

"Tehran welcomes negotiations but will not accept the precondition set by the West," Ahmadinejad said.

I bet you didn't know that the Bush administration is proposing the opening of a diplomatic office in Tehran, either. No, the cable news has been filled with reports of missile tests, and which Presidential candidate would be tough enough to take on Iran and whether Israel will attack Iran's nuclear sites if Bush won't. I suppose the discussion by TY pundits of the possibility of another war is sexier than actually reporting on signals out of Washington and Tehran that both governments are open to increasing diplomatic ties. Still, these are significant events. You'd think someone in the American media would have thought to cover them in depth.



To my knowledge, this is the first time any US administration, much less the one presided over by Mr. Bush, has suggested re-opening any diplomatic affairs office in Iran since the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979-80 terminated all official diplomatic relations between the two countries. Amid all the war talk that is a very important step for any President to take, much less George "Axis of Evil" and "We Don't Negotiate With Terrists" Bush. And Iran's response has been positive, with the only condition for talks being that there be no pre-conditions to opening direct discussions with the United States (a not unreasonable request). Clearly, the groundwork for a diplomatic effort to begin to resolve the outstanding issues between Iran and the United States is being laid. Will it lead to anything? Who knows? But you'd think someone in our media would be inclined to want to dig a little deeper to discover exactly what is going on here, and who in the Bush administration is behind it.



I mean, doesn't any of our vaunted "journalists" want to beat Seymour Hersh to the next big Iran story? I know, I know. A stupid question.

Tagged as: iran, bush, diplomacy, foreign policy, ahmadinejad